Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan
is an 1898 novella written by Morgan Robertson. The story features the
ocean liner Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an
iceberg. The Titan and its sinking have been noted to be very similar to
the real-life passenger ship RMS Titanic, which sank fourteen years
later. Following the wreck the novel was reissued with some changes,
particularly in the ship's gross tonnage, to make it closer to the
Titanic.

Similarities to the Titanic

Although
the novel was written before the Olympic-class Titanic had even been
designed, there are some remarkable similarities between the fictional
and real-life counterparts. Like the Titanic, the fictional ship sank in
April in the North Atlantic, and there were not enough lifeboats for
the passengers. There are also similarities between the size (800 ft
long for Titan versus 882 ft 9 in long for the Titanic), speed (25
knots for Titan, 22.5 knots for Titanic) and life-saving equipment.

Beyond the name, the similarities between the Titanic and the fictional Titan include: Both were triple screw Both described as "unsinkable"
The Titanic was the world's largest luxury liner (882 feet,
displacing 63,000 long tons), and was once described as being
practically "unsinkable".
The Titan was the
largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men (800 feet,
displacing 75,000 tons, up from 45,000 in the 1898 edition), and was
considered "unsinkable". Shortage of lifeboats
The Titanic carried only 16 lifeboats, plus 4 Engelhardt folding
lifeboats,[4] less than half the number required for her passenger and
crew capacity of 3000.
The Titan carried "as few as the law allowed", 24 lifeboats, less than half needed for her 3000 capacity. Struck an iceberg
Moving at 22½ knots, the Titanic struck an
iceberg on the starboard side on the night of April 14, 1912 in the
North Atlantic 400 miles away from Newfoundland.
Also on an
April night, in the North Atlantic 400 miles from Newfoundland
(Terranova), the Titan hit an iceberg while traveling at 25 knots, also
on the starboard side. Sinking
The unsinkable Titanic sank, and more than half of her 2200 passengers and crew died.
The indestructible Titan also sank, more than half of her 2500 passengers drowning.
Went down bow first, the Titan actually capsizing before it sank.
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Interesting and a bit creepy.

Keep your sightglass full, your firebox trimmed and your...
Never mind about the water and ice bit
KJ